1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for fracturing a semiconductor substrate by bending the semiconductor substrate, to a method for fracturing a solar cell, and to the solar cell.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, as a semiconductor substrate for use in a solar cell, a single crystal silicon substrate obtained by thinly cutting ingot-like single crystal silicon has been used. The ingot-like single crystal silicon is fabricated by the Czochralski process (CZ process) and the floating zone process (FZ process) or the like, and has the same crystal orientation as that of seed crystal.
In the case of using the single crystal silicon substrate as the semiconductor substrate of the solar cell, the single crystal silicon substrate that is disc-like is used after being divided into polygonal pieces in order to increase a light receiving area of a solar cell module (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H9-148601 (published in 1997)). Specifically, there has been adopted a method for fracturing the single crystal silicon substrate by forming a plurality of dividing grooves on the single crystal silicon substrate by means of a laser, a dicing saw or the like, and thereafter bending the single crystal silicon substrate along the dividing grooves.